Have you ever tried raw food “cooking”? Do you even know what it is? Neither did I until I took a workshop with Krista Santora, Certified Alissa Cohen Living on Live Food teacher. A few of us were invited to a fun hands-on workshop in Krista’s beautiful home (sorry, I forgot to take pictures) on Monday and it was not what I expected.

When I hear the term raw foods, I think of raw foods. You know, all the food you need to cook in order to eat. Well, it’s not. Here’s the scoop on the raw foods concept:

Raw and living foods are uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. . Raw foods can be made into the most delicious meals that are so nutrient-dense, they keep you feeling full for hours. You get to eat fun foods like date nut torte, pasta (spiraled zucchini) with marinara sauce, and many more filling, satisfying and TASTY dishes!

Changes your whole perspective right? Now that I knew what was involved, I was all in for a fun day of preparing healthy meals and tasting everything that was put in front of me. And, Krista did not disappoint.

I was joined by my Aunt Gloria and Ellen Hennesy of Soulcology Coaching. We were first treated to an appetizer of Raw Flax Seed crackers and a spread of pate consisting of mushrooms and walnuts. My aunt said it reminded her of liver pate (I’ve never had it), Ellen wasn’t thrilled with it and I thought it was delicious. That was the extent of our tasting difference. Once we got into the meat of the workshop, our taste buds were very happy and in agreement.

We started our session with a brief lesson about wheatgrass and the proper way to drink it. Krista recommends 1 ounce two to three time a week. To get the full benefit of the drink, you want to hold the liquid under your tongue for 30 second to one minute. I gave it a try and…yeah I didn’t care for it. It wasn’t bad, but it’s not something I would happily drink every week. Krista is going to have her work cut out for her on that one. The next drink we tried was fresh coconut water from a young coconut. It was nice and light and, after tasting it, I’m wondering how it would taste in a smoothie. I feel a culinary experiment coming on.

The Dishes

The first dish Krista made was the Mock Salmon Pate. It took all of five minutes to make. I’m not kidding. Four ingredients and five minutes and we had a spread that could go on crackers or made into a roll for lunch. She told us how she uses an organic collard green leaf and, using the mock salmon pate as a main ingredient, she fills it with organic tomatoes, organic avocado and organic greens.

It wasn’t on the menu, but she made one for us to taste since we couldn’t imagine what raw collard greens would taste like (thanks Ellen!). Having eaten them all my life cooked, I expected it to be tough and bitter. I was completely wrong. The wrap was delicious and filling! This will be a light summer staple for me.

Next, we moved onto the Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps. Ok, honestly, it had two ingredients I’m not a big fan of. Mushrooms and avocado. Because they’re both healthy and full of nutritious things my body needs, I’m trying to change my culinary tastes. As I said, I was open to everything that was put in front of me and I have to admit, it was tasty one. I’m not sure I would make it often, but I could learn to like it.

Next up was the Angel Hair Pasta and Marinara Sauce. Ok, this one was my absolute favorite! The pasta is actually zucchini and the sauce is made fresh with sun dried tomatoes as one of the ingredients.

We all dug into this one and went back for seconds (and thirds). I want to buy a food processor just so I can make this dish. Yeah, it’s that good.

It’s perfect as a light summer dinner and took only a few minutes to make. Can you imagine coming home after a long day and not having to turn on the stove to make a dinner that’s filling, light and tastes good? This is that dish! I can’t wait to try it out on the family.

We ended our raw foods tasting tour with a Date Nut Torte. I know the slice on my plate seems small, but honestly, that’s all you need. We enjoyed this four ingredient dessert with a cup of herbal tea and it was the perfect ending to our day. Made with walnuts, raisins, dates and lemon juice, it’s rich, sweet and, for me, a cravings buster.

One of the benefits I discovered is that every dish is high in fiber, making that hungry feeling I normally get pretty much non-existent. No hunger, no over-eating. No over-eating, means I can actually lose a few unwanted pounds. That’s what I call a win-win!

We had such a blast, and we laughed so much, the time flew by. For me, the new experience of getting the full taste of each ingredient, and shedding preconceived taste opinions, was an eye opener. When combine all the ingredients, it’s like a flavor explosion in your mouth. I enjoyed it so much I’m going to take a 30 day challenge and substitute two of my daily meals with two raw food meals. I would say all three meals, but I’m being realistic. I don’t think that’s going to happen right from the word go. Look out for future posts on my progress.

The Workshop

In the meantime, if these dishes have tantalized your taste buds and you would like to learn more about raw foods, I would highly recommend taking Krista’s workshop on July 31st. It’s being offered at

ocean, earth, wind, fire Yoga Studio
122 Bridge Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460

For more information, or to register, contact Krista Santora at krista.santora@yahoo.com. Seats are limited and will go quickly. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out. Take this workshop!

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Post tags: Alissa Cohen, Krista Santora, raw foods

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If you were ever interested in making your own jellies, here a nice and aromatic way to get started.

What you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup dried lavender leaves
• 2-1/2 cups boiling water
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• A few drops of purple food color
• 1/2 bottle liquid pectin

Putting it together:

1. Sterilize jars and keep them hot. If using glasses, prepare paraffin. If using jars, prepare lids as manufacturer directs.
2. Pour boiling water over lavender and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain and measure 2 cups of this herb tea into saucepan.
3. Stir in sugar, wine and coloring.
4. Heat to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
5. Pour in pectin and return to a boil.
6. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
7. Ladle through funnel into hot jars or glasses to 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe tops with a sterile cloth.
8. Seal glasses with 1/8 inch layer of paraffin. If using jars, screw on tops.

Yield: about 3 cups

• Source Peace Valley Lavender Farm
• Photo by Craig Hatfield

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Post tags: lavender

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One of the things I look forward to making every summer is Lavender Lemonade.  It’s light, refreshing and delicious.  It sounds pretty intimidating because not many people have heard of it, but once you taste it, you’ll be a happy convert.

What you’ll need:

• 1/4 cup of fresh Lavender or 1 tablespoon dried.  If possible, always make sure it’s direct from the grower with no pesticides.
• 1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup of sugar
• 5 cups of distilled water
• ice cubes
• lavender sprigs for garnish
• cheesecloth or strainer

Putting it together:

1. Over medium heat, pour 2 1/2 cups of distilled water into a pot with the sugar.
2. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat and add the fresh Lavender buds.
4. Cover and let steep for 1 hour.
5. Strain the mixture into a pitcher.
6. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 1/2 cups of distilled water.
7. Stir to mix.
8. Pour over a glass of  ice and add a sprig of Lavender for garnish.
9. Or, refrigerate until you are ready for a delicious glass of Lavender lemonade.
10. Enjoy!

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Post tags: lavender, lavender lemonade

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So, this morning I woke up wanting some nice and toasty Trader Joe’s Blueberry Waffles, with Canadian turkey bacon on the side.  I’m not a big fan of eggs, so that’s usually no where on my radar.  Imagine my surprise when I got downstairs only to discover my waffles were gone.  Gone, as in I ate them all.  The horror!

Then I remembered I still had the ingredients I needed to make the breakfast pinwheels I saw in The Hungry Girl newsletter.  I made them before so I knew they were going to be good.  The recipe is really easy and there are only two ingredients.  Three if you count your appetite.  The title is a bit deceiving since this recipe uses a vegetarian sausage.

As I said, the recipe is easy.  Get out your baking sheet and preheat that oven to 350 degrees.  I’m all about the no clean up school of baking so I use parchment paper on my cookie sheet.  It protects your pinwheel bottoms and there’s no what?  Clean.  Up.  Line that cookie sheet!  If you don’t have parchment paper than don’t worry about it.  Just spray it with non-stick spray.

When you unroll your dough, it’s supposed to be seamless.  As you can see, mine wasn’t.  there was a tear going along the spiral of the container.  Don’t panic, just pinch it together and keep moving.  Gently spread out your dough along the sides so you’ll have a good sized rectangle.

Sprinkle your ‘sausage” crumbles evenly over the top and press them into the dough.  You’ll thank me later when your crumbles aren’t falling out out the creases while you’re trying to eat them.

Roll ‘er up!

Now, for the very mathematical part.  Eyeball eight portions and make seven cut marks.  Told you it was all about the math.  Making the marks will help you to see if they are evenly portioned.

Cut the sections and space them out on the cookie sheet.  If you have stray crumbles, pounce on them with the dough to reassimilate them into The Collective…I mean dough!  (You will get that if you watched Star Trek the Next Generation)

Pop them into the oven until browned and viola, she is done.  They are sooo good right out of the oven.  Yum!  The two ends never stood a chance.

Now that you see how easy this is, I’m sure you’re anxious to try them yourself.  Let’s put it all together.

You’ll need:

• Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations
• 3/4 cup Morning Star Meal Starters Sausage Crumbles (yep, they’re vegetarian)
• cookie sheet
• parchment paper

Cooking It Up:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line your cookie sheet with the parchment paper, or spray with non-stick spray.
3. Roll out your dough and try to get the sides even.  Don’t worry about neatness.  It doesn’t matter once it’s cut & baked.
4. Sprinkle the “sausage” crumbles evenly over the top.
5. Press crumbles into the dough.
6. Start at the short side, roll your dough into a log.
7. Eyeball your portions and make seven cut marks for eight portions.
8. Cut your sections and space them on your cookie sheet, swirl side up.
9. Bake for about 15 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Servings: 8

Points Value per serving: 3

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Post tags: 3 points, breakfast, vegetarian, Weight Watchers

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Monday I pulled out the slow cooker and made one of my favorite dishes, Salsa Chicken.  This is as easy as it gets when it comes to slow cooker recipes.  There is no precooking, chopping or sautéing if you have everything on hand.  The only prep work is cutting up the chicken, opening cans and a jar.

One change I made to this recipe is adding mixed vegetables instead of just corn.  I was able to incorporate more veggies into the dish while adding color.  So, go get that slow cooker and let’s get started!

You’ll need:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 16 oz. can of black beans
• 1 21 oz jar of salsa
• 1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables, canned or frozen
• 1/2 pack of Low Sodium Taco Seasoning
• 1 cup cooked rice.  I used brown rice. (great way to use that left over rice from your Chinese food take order)

Let’s get cooking:

1. Open can of black beans and drain.  Pour into the pot.
2. Open jar of salsa and pour into the pot.
3. Pour in the vegetables.  If you’re using frozen, there is no need to thaw them.
4. Cut chicken breasts into bit size pieces and add to pot. 
5. Sprinkle in taco seasoning.
6. Stir ingredients together.
7. Cook on low 5 hours.
8. Add rice and stir.
9. Cook for another hour.

Servings: 6

Points Value: 6 points per serving

Easy, huh?  I told you.  Try it out and tell me what you think.  Share one of your recipes in the comments below.

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Post tags: crock pot, dinner, Weight Watchers

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